Review: Amari and Liqueurs of Atheras Spirits
Conceived at Harlem cocktail bar Sugar Monk and produced in Brooklyn, Atheras Spirits distills a collection of six spirits — two amari and four herbal liqueurs — all “bridging centuries-old traditions of botanical distillation with modern innovations in flavor extraction” — “each inspired by the intersection of art, history, music, and alchemy.”
To call these liqueurs exotic would be a vast understatement. Each one more exuberant than the last, these beverages are complex, intense, and, to varying degrees, bitter as all get-out.
“Atheras Spirits was created as an act of devotion,” says Co-Founder Ektoras Binikos. “Each bottle reflects our craft and our connection to nature, with every detail from the liquid to the label treated as a composition of art and alchemy. Our goal is to create spirits that spark emotion and curiosity.”
Each is bottled at 76 proof. We received four of the six expressions in the line. Thoughts follow.
Atheras Spirits Palatine Amaro Review
This is Atheras’ “workhorse” amaro, made with rhubarb, angelica, coriander, rosehip, chamomile, bay leaf, and lemon verbena in the recipe. The aroma is exotic and Eastern, featuring aromas of allspice, saffron, and ample tea leaf pouring from the glass. There’s a light smokiness present, turning rather leathery as it develops and finally simmers down. Fresh clove and cinnamon notes pair with a tempering brown sugar sweetness, vegetal rhubarb powering through on the finish. Clove lingers the longest as the amaro fades away, offering a gritty, holiday-adjacent fade-out. A- / $50
Atheras Spirits Akehnaten Premium Amaro Review
The flagship alternative to Palatine, this amaro contains over 40 botanicals, including cumin, coriander, peppermint, cloves, basil, chamomile, cedar, eucalyptus, and myrrh. Inspired by the Egyptian pharaoh and Philip Glass’s opera of the same name, it’s an even more exotic take on the formula that Palatine starts off. Big incense aromas are backed by a massive punch of coriander and cumin, the nose quickly evoking a Moroccan tagine. Cloves and star anise percolate from there, with saffron and spiced raisin aromas building in time. This is an amaro that you almost don’t even have to drink to fully experience, its nose is so immersive and encompassing — though some may feel it comes across a bit too much like some kind of chutney that you’d eat with chicken and rice. Perhaps understandably divisive. B+ / $75
Atheras Spirits Cardoon Liqueur Review
Build around wild artichoke, but don’t come into this expecting Cynar. This peach-colored liqueur is earthy and vegetal in ways that Cynar could only dream of, a peculiar mix of extremely bitter, green-grass flavors curiously mixed with notes of sweet, lightly fruited tea. Notes of apricot and lemon peel are bright for a moment but are ultimately washed away by a bitterness so powerful it winds up landing just this side of fernet. That is presumably the essence of artichoke invading your senses, coming across as if it’s been grilled nearly to ash. Wild. B / $45
Atheras Spirits Hierba Luisa Liqueur Review
Hierba Luisa is better known as lemongrass. Here the plant is used to make what is the most straightforward liqueur in this lineup — those classic, greener herbal notes tempered by sweeter notes of melted lemon candies. The combination makes for a vaguely medicinal experience, particularly as the syrupy liquid coats the throat. But it’s never unpleasant, to be honest, with a soothing character that makes the liqueur come across like an upscale limoncello — again, Eastern-leaning with hints of white flowers and mint. The most refreshing liqueur in the lineup. A- / $45
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